Oil burner and method

ABSTRACT

A gun-type oil burner is disclosed having a motor axially aligned with a fuel pump and a blower at opposite ends. The blower draws air into the burner, the amount of which is controlled by an adjustable air gate. The blower inlet is covered by a removable, protective air scoop. Upon removal of the air scoop, an outside air boot is easily connected to the burner without burner modification. The air in the burner travels along a serpentine path which contains smooth curves and perimetrally disposed protrusions for reducing the velocity of the air flow and maintaining its static pressure. The air flows through an air tube in a helical pattern, mixes with oil and is ignited at the air tube outlet. A fuel nozzle, ignitors and a fuel supply conduit are supported as a burner sub-assembly within the tube by a spider. A preselected stop of a number of removable stops of differing sizes is located on the spider and properly positions the burner sub-assembly within the air tube. The burner sub-assembly may be viewed through a window located near the rear of the air tube on the burner assembly.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a fuel-fired burner assembly and, morespecifically to a gun-type oil burner.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventional gun-type oil burners generally include an air tube having afuel supply conduit extending axially within the tube. The fuel supplyconduit is connected at one end to a fuel pump which supplies oil andterminates at its other end near the end of the air tube in a fueldispensing nozzle which emits the oil under pressure. The oil is mixedwith air which has been delivered by a centrifugal blower. The blower isdriven by a motor which in some oil burner models also drives the fuelpump. An ignition transformer located on the oil burner is connected toan ignition apparatus which is located adjacent the fuel nozzle near theend of the air tube. This ignition apparatus ignites the oil-air mixtureas it exits the air tube.

Previous oil burners have arranged the blower, motor, and fuel pump invarious configurations. Some of the conventional oil burners have theinlet for the blower on the same side as the fuel pump. When bleedingair from the fuel pump, it is possible for air to be sucked into theblower thereby coating it with oil. This in turn causes severe problemswith lint buildup.

A previous burner proposal has attempted to reduce the velocity of theflow of combustion air with the use of channels or baffles within theair tube just before the air reaches the location at which it is mixedwith the oil and ignited. This may not produce a very substantialreduction in air velocity and can also result in stratification.

In order to adjust the amount of air which the burner takes in, previousproposals utilized a damper on the inlet side of the blower. When thisdamper is partially closed, thereby restricting the intake of air intothe burner, the blower is not able to develop full capacity. Thisdisrupts the flow of air through the burner by causing a small amount ofair to flow too fast and without any chance to build up a good, fullpressure head. It also contributes to velocity induced airstratification. In addition, such a damper location typically interfereswith the connection of an outside air boot.

Moreover, with many prior burners, the location of the blower and fuelpump, as well as the damper, also interferes with the connection of aboot. Accordingly with prior burners, if there is a desire to connect anoutside air boot to the burner, various parts of the damper and/or pumpmay need to be dismantled in order to achieve such a connection.

As with most mechanical apparatus, various rates of operation aredesirable. Previous burner proposals have attempted to provide foradjustment of the burning rate by requiring dismantling of various partsand the use of awkward measuring tools. Many proposals require theburning rate to be adjusted at the rear of the burner which complicatesmeasurement and verification of the burning rate at the actualcombustion region.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved fuel-fired burner, moreparticularly a gun-type oil burner, that is easily and efficientlyoperated.

In the preferred embodiment, the burner assembly includes an overallhousing with a motor connected to the housing and located near thebottom of the burner assembly. This motor includes an output shaft whichis axially aligned with and connected to a blower for intake of air intothe burner assembly. A fuel pump is connected to the opposite end of theoutput shaft at the opposite end of the motor. This allows forseparation of the fuel handling system from the air handling systemwhich minimizes contamination of the fuel handling system and collectionof oil within the air handling system. By having the fuel pump, motorand blower axially aligned along the bottom of the burner assembly, onemotor is easily capable of running both the fuel pump and the blower.This setup also allows for reduced manufacturing cost and easymaintenance.

Major advantages of a burner embodying the invention are provided by animproved air handling system. It is desirable in gun-type oil burners toreduce the velocity of the air flow while maintaining the staticpressure of the air at the location where the air is actually mixed withthe oil and ignited. As air is delivered to the burner assembly, ittravels through a serpentine path which has smooth curves andperimetrally disposed protrusions for directing the air flow whileconcurrently maintaining the static pressure and reducing the velocityof the air flow without stratification. As air exits the serpentinepath, it rounds a smooth flow diverting wall and enters an air tube withat least some of the entering air flowing in a direction forwardly ofthe air tube causing the air to travel through the air tube in a smooth,helical pattern and minimizing velocity induced air stratification. Aconstant flow of air is maintained towards the burner outlet at alltimes during operation of the burner. This entire air handling systemsmoothly reduces the velocity of the air flow while maintaining thedesired, blower-developed static pressure head near the outlet end ofthe air tube where the air and oil are mixed and ignited. The airhandling system creates desired turbulence within the body of air whichaids in the mixing of the air and oil and this mixture's ignition.

The air inlet of the blower is partially covered by a removable airscoop, which helps protect against blower-produced injuries and noiseemission during operation as well as helping keep foreign matter out ofthe blower. The scoop is easily removed. Once the scoop is removed, anoutside air boot is easily connected to the burner assembly withoutburner modification.

Aiding in the easy connection of an outside air boot to the burnerassembly is the location of an air gate. With the present invention theair gate is located between the blower and the locus where the air isactually being mixed with the oil and ignited. This means an outside airboot may be connected to the burner assembly without adjustment ormodification of the air gate.

The location of the air gate also allows for smooth delivery of air tothe locus where the air is mixed with the oil and ignited. Because theair gate is located on the outlet side of the blower rather than theinlet side, the blower is not starved and is able to develop fullcapacity thereby helping reduce high velocity airflow and velocityinduced air stratification.

Control of the air gate is also improved with the present invention. Adial is located on the burner assembly for manual adjustment of the airgate. A pinion is connected to the dial and at least a segment of a gearis located on the air gate with the gear and pinion being meshed in apredetermined ratio. This allows for facile, fine adjustment of the airgate.

Easy preselection of a burning rate of the burner assembly is anotherfeature of the present invention. The fuel nozzle and ignition apparatusare connected together and supported by a spider as a burnersub-assembly in the outer end of the air tube. A stop, which is selectedat the time of installation of the burner assembly from a number ofprovided stops of a variety of lengths, is also attached to the burnersub-assembly on the spider. This stop locates the burner sub-assembly inappropriate spacial relationship with the outer end of the air tube andthereby contributes to the control of the burning rate of the burnerassembly. The stop length also corresponds to the fuel nozzle which isbeing used. Whenever maintenance or service is required of the burnersub-assembly, it may be moved, removed or dismantled and uponreinstallation of the burner sub-assembly, the stop will assure properpositioning of the burner sub-assembly in the exact same spaciallocation near the outer end of the air tube without adjustment or theuse of measuring tools.

Another feature of the invention is a window located near the rear ofthe air tube on the back of the burner assembly which allows for anoperator or a serviceman to view the operation of the burnersub-assembly.

Accordingly the objects of the invention are to provide a novel andimproved burner assembly and methods of installation, repair and use ofsuch an assembly.

These and other objects of the invention will be better understood fromthe following description of the invention shown in the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gun type oil burner constructedaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the gun-type oil burner with a portionof the housing removed and includes a sectional view of the burnersub-assembly within the air tube and a view of the air flow passagewithin the burner as seen from the plane indicated by the line 2--2 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing on an enlarged scale the air flowpassage within the gun type oil burner as seen from the plane indicatedby the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a gun type oil burner as seen from theplane indicated by the line 4--4 of FIG. 1 and includes a sectional viewof the burner sub-assembly contained within the air tube of the oilburner;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the burner sub-assembly and theair tube;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the burner sub-assembly as seen from theplane indicated by the line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged elevational view of the access slot of the oilburner;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plane view of the access port seen from the planeindicated by the line 8--8 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the access port door as seen from theplane indicated by the line 9--9 of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A fuel oil burner 10 embodying the present invention is illustrated bythe drawings as a gun type oil burner for mounting on a furance by amounting flange 11. Referring to FIG. 1, the new oil burner 10 comprisesa housing 12 and a motor 13 located near the bottom of the housing 12. Afuel pump 14 is mounted on one end of the motor 13 and a blower 15 ismounted on the opposite end of the motor 13. A transformer 16 is locatednear the top of the housing 12. An air tube 17 defining an air flow path18 projects outward from the housing 12.

The motor 13 has one end of its output shaft 20 axially aligned with andconnected to the fuel pump 14 and its other end axially aligned with andconnected to the blower 15 thereby allowing the motor 13 to operate boththe fuel pump 14 and the blower 15.

As seen from the orientation of FIG. 2, the motor 13 rotates the blower15 in a clockwise rotation pulling air through a blower inlet 21. Theair travels along a path 34 as shown in FIG. 1. The blower inlet 21 ispartially covered by a removable padded air scoop 22 that helps guidethe air into the blower inlet 21 and is also helpful for protectingagainst blower produced injuries and preventing foreign matter fromentering the blower. It also reduces noise emitted during operation.

Referring to FIG. 3, an air guide 23 located on the suction side of theblower 15 helps direct the air flow on both the pressure side andsuction side of the blower thereby helping the blower 15 produceimproved static pressure. The air exits the blower and travels along aserpentine air flow passage 25 within the housing 12. The path is inpart bounded by perimetrally disposed protrusions 26, 28 and has smoothcurves 27, 29. The serpentine air flow passage 25 reduces the velocityof the air flow and maintains the static pressure developed by theblower 15.

Throughout the air flow passage 25, the air is flowing forwardly towardsan outlet 30 of the air tube 17. The air then engages a flow divertingwall 31 in an upward direction and enters the air tube 17 at air tubeinlet 32 with at least some of the body of air flowing in a directionforwardly of the tube causing the air to travel in a smooth, helicalpattern through the air flow path 18 of the air tube 17 towards theoutlet 30 of the air tube 17. The helical air flow passes through aburner head section 33 just before it exits through the air tube outlet30.

The amount of air that travels through the air flow passage 25 iscontrolled by an air gate 40 which is shown in FIG. 3. The air gate iscontrolled by a dial 41 that is located externally on the housing 12 asshown in FIG. 1. A pinion 42, connected to the dial 41, is meshed in apredetermined ratio with a gear segment 43 located on the air gate 40.By rotating the dial 41, the air gate 40 is rotated about a shaft 44thereby adjusting the amount of air which travels through the air flowpassage 25. A boss 45 surrounds a shaft 46 of the dial 41 and limits themovement of the air gate 40.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the motor 13 operates the fuel pump 14supplying oil to a fuel supply conduit 50 via a fuel supply pipe 51. Theoil travels through the conduit 50 to the burner nozzle 52 located nearthe tube outlet 30 where it is emitted under pressure in a fine mist andmixed with the air that has reached the burner head section 33.

The fuel-air mixture is ignited by ends 53, 54 of ignitors 55, 56located near the burner head section 33. The ignitors 55, 56 areconnected to the transformer 16 via cables 57, 58 that clip onto rods59, 60 extending from the ignitors 55, 56 past the air tube inlet 32toward an access port door 91. Each of the clips 61, 62 consist of a Ushaped band which flexes to accommodate the diameter of thecorresponding rod to which it is connected.

The burner nozzle 52, the fuel supply conduit 50 and the burner headsection 33 are supported within the air tube 17 by a spider 70. A stop71 of appropriate length corresponding to the desired burning rate andburner nozzle 52 is connected to and located at the top of the spider70.

The ignitors 55, 56 are connected to the fuel supply conduit 50 by a Tshaped bracket 72. The T shaped bracket 72 and the spider 70 togetherrigidly support the burner head section 33, the fuel supply conduit 50,the burner nozzle 52, the ignitors 55, 56 and the stop 71 as one unit,hereinafter referred to as a burner sub-assembly 75. In order to obtainthe desired burning rate which corresponds with the length of the stop71, the burner sub-assembly 75 is moved towards the tube outlet 30 untilthe stop 71 comes into contact with a coacting tube surface 73.

The fuel supply conduit 50 curves through a slot 80 in the housing 12and a hole 81 in a separate plate 82 where it is connected to fuelsupply pipe 51. The plate 82 is capable of moving with the burnersub-assembly 75 due to a slot 83 through which a screw 84 is inserted toattach the plate 82 to the housing 12. When the burner sub-assembly 75and plate 82 are in proper position as determined by the stop 71, thescrew 84 is screwed into hole 85 located on the housing 12 therebyaffixing the plate 82 to the housing 12 and holding the burnersub-assembly 75 in place.

The housing 12 has an access port 90 axially aligned with the air tube17 at its inlet end. The access port has an access port door 91, shownin FIGS. 8, 9, that is capable of being opened and closed therebyallowing for removal of the burner sub-assembly upon removal of thecables 57, 58. The access port door 91 has a window 92 which allows theburner sub-assembly to be viewed when the access port door 91 is closed.When closed, the access port door 91 is secured by a screw 93.

While a single preferred embodiment of the invention has beenillustrated and described in detail, the present invention is not to beconsidered limited to the precise construction disclosed. Variousadaptations, modifications and uses of the invention may occur to thoseskilled in the art to which the invention relates and the intention isto cover hereby all such adaptations, modifications and uses which fallwithin the spirit or scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:
 1. In an oil burner including anair tube defining an elongate air flow path extending from an inlet toan outlet, a housing, a motor driven blower connected to said housingnear the inlet end of said air tube, said housing defining an air flowpassage between an outlet of said blower and the inlet of said air tube,a burner nozzle near the outlet of said air tube, and oil supply meansfor said nozzle, the improvement comprising:a) said air flow passagebeing of serpentine form and maintaining a component of air flowforwardly from the blower outlet toward the outlet of said air tube,whereby the velocity of air flow in said passage is decreased whilemaintaining static pressure; b) an adjustable air gate mounted in saidhousing for controlling the amount of air which flows along the air flowpassage; and c) said inlet of said air tube being located such that airfrom said flow passage enters said air tube and then moves through saidtube in a generally helical pattern toward said outlet of said tube. 2.The improvement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blower is locatedbelow a horizontal plane located by the center line of said air tubewhen the burner is in use.
 3. The improvement as claimed in claim 1wherein said adjustable air gate is located on the pressure side of saidblower and has control means including:a) a dial located externally ofand connected to said housing; b) a pinion connected to said dial; and,c) at least a segment of a gear connected to said air gate, said gearbeing meshed in a predetermined ratio with said pinion thereby allowingfor fine adjustment of the amount of air which enters said air tube. 4.In an oil burner including an air tube defining an elongate air flowpath extending from an inlet to an outlet, a housing, a motor drivenblower connected to said housing near the inlet end of said air tube,said housing defining an air flow passage between an outlet of saidblower and the inlet of said air tube, a burner nozzle near the outletof said air tube, and oil supply means for said nozzle, the improvementcomprising:a) an adjustable air gate mounted in said housing on thepressure side of said blower for controlling the amount of air thatflows along the air flow passage; and, b) the air gate having a controlmeans including:i) a dial located externally of and connected to saidhousing; ii) a pinion connected to said dial; and, iii) at least asegment of a gear located on said air gate, said gear being meshed in apredetermined ratio with said pinion thereby allowing for fineadjustment of the amount of air which enters said air tube.
 5. In an oilburner including an air tube defining an elongate air flow pathextending from an inlet to an outlet, a housing, a motor driven blowerconnected to said housing near the inlet end of said air tube, saidhousing defining an air flow passage between an outlet of said blowerand the inlet of said air tube, a burner nozzle near the outlet of saidair tube, oil supply means for said nozzle, and an oil-air ignitor forigniting an oil-air mixture near said nozzle, the improvementcomprising:a) said nozzle, oil supply means and oil-air ignitor being aconnected assembly that is selectively positionable at a selected one ofa plurality of positions spaced axially of said air tube, the connectedassembly comprising:i) an oil tube within said air tube; ii) said nozzlebeing connected in fuel delivery relationship with said oil tube; and,iii) mounting means connecting said ignitor to said oil tube; b)cooperating stop means on said air tube and said connected assembly forlocating said connected assembly at a preselected one of said pluralityof positions; and, c) said stop means including a removable membercarried by a selected one of said connected assembly and said air tubeand a coacting surface on the other of said connected assembly and saidair tube, said stop member being a preselected one of a set of removablestop members of differing sizes, each adapted to locate said connectedassembly at a different one of said plurality of said positions thanother stop members of the set.
 6. In an oil burner including an air tubedefining an elongate air flow path extending from an inlet to an outlet,a housing, a motor driven blower connected to said housing near theinlet end of said air tube, said housing defining an air flow passagebetween an outlet of said blower and the inlet of said air tube, aburner nozzle near the outlet of said air tube, oil supply means forsaid nozzle, and an oil-air ignitor for igniting an oil-air mixture, theimprovement comprising:a) said air flow passage being of serpentine formand maintaining a component of air flow forwardly from the blower outlettoward the outlet of said air tube, whereby the velocity of air flow insaid passage is decreased while maintaining static pressure; b) anadjustable air gate mounted in said housing for controlling the amountof air which flows along the air flow passage; c) said inlet of said airtube being near its top, whereby air from said flow passage enters saidair tube and then moves through said tube in a generally helical patterntoward said outlet of said tube; d) said nozzle, oil supply means andoil-air ignitor being a connected assembly that is selectivelypositionable at a selected one of a plurality of positions spacedaxially of said air tube, the connected assembly comprising:i) an oiltube within said air tube; ii) said nozzle being connected in fueldelivery relationship with said oil tube; iii) said ignitor beingconnected to said oil tube; and, iv) cooperating stop means on said airtube and said connected assembly for locating said connected assembly ata preselected one of said plurality of positions; v) said stop meansincluding a removable member carried by one of said connected assemblyand said air tube and a coacting surface on the other of said connectedassembly and said air tube, said stop member being a preselected one ofa set of removable stop members of differing sizes, each adapted tolocate said connected assembly at a different one of said plurality ofpositions than other stop members of the set.
 7. In an oil burnerincluding an air tube defining an elongate air flow path extending froman inlet to an outlet, a housing, a motor driven blower connected tosaid housing near the inlet end of said air tube, said housing definingan air flow passage between an outlet of said blower and the inlet ofsaid air tube, a burner nozzle near the outlet of said air tube, and oilsupply means for said nozzle, the improvement wherein the inlet of saidblower is partially covered by a removable air scoop thereby protectingagainst blower produced injuries and reducing the noise emitted from theblower during operation, said blower and said air scoop being locatedsuch that upon removal of said air scoop a fresh air duct may bedirectly connected to said oil burner at the inlet of said blower.
 8. Inan oil burner including an air tube defining an elongate air flow pathextending from an inlet to an outlet, a housing, a motor driven blowerconnected to said housing near the inlet end of said air tube, saidhousing defining an air flow passage between an outlet of said blowerand the inlet of said air tube, a burner nozzle near the outlet of saidair tube, and oil supply means for said nozzle, the improvementwherein:a) a mounting flange is located on said air tube near its outletfor connecting said oil burner to a furnace or similar apparatus; and,b) said oil supply means, said motor and said blower are respectivelyaligned along the bottom of said housing and below said air tube therebyallowing easy access to all three for maintenance and service when saidoil burner is connected to said furnace.
 9. In an oil burner includingan air tube defining an elongate air flow path extending from an inletto an outlet, a housing, a motor driven blower connected to said housingnear the inlet end of said air tube, said housing defining an air flowpassage between the outlet of said blower and the inlet of said airtube, a burner nozzle near the outlet of said air tube, oil supply meansfor said nozzle, and an oil-air ignitor for igniting an oil-air mixture,the improvement comprising:a) said air flow passage being of serpentineform and maintaining a component of air flow forwardly from the bloweroutlet toward the outlet of said air tube, whereby the velocity of airflow in said passage is decreased while maintaining static pressure; b)an adjustable air gate mounted in said housing on the pressure side ofsaid blower for controlling the amount of air which flows along the airflow passage; c) said inlet of said air tube being near its top, wherebyair from said flow passage enters said air tube and then moves throughsaid tube in a generally helical pattern toward said outlet of saidtube; d) said adjustable air gate having control means including:i) adial located externally of and connected to said housing; ii) a pinionconnected to said dial; and, iii) at least a segment of a gear connectedto said air gate, said gear being meshed in a predetermined ratio withsaid pinion thereby allowing for fine adjustment of the amount of airwhich enters said air tube; e) said nozzle, oil supply means and oil-airignitor being a connected assembly that is selectively positionable at aselected one of a plurality of positions spaced axially of said airtube, the connected assembly comprising:i) an oil tube within said airtube; ii) said nozzle being connected in fuel delivery relationship withsaid oil tube; iii) said ignitor being connected to said oil tube; iv)cooperating stop means on said air tube and said connected assembly forlocating said connected assembly at preselected one of said plurality ofpositions; and v) said stop means including a removable member carriedby one of said connected assembly and said air tube and a coactingsurface on the other of said connected assembly and said air tube, saidstop member being a preselected one of a set of removable stop membersof differing sizes, each adapted to locate said connected assembly at adifferent one of said plurality of positions than other stop members ofthe set; f) a mounting flange is located on said air tube near itsoutlet for connecting said oil burner to a furnace or similar apparatus;g) said oil supply means, said motor and said blower are respectivelyaligned along the bottom of said housing and below said air tube therebyallowing easy access to all three for maintenance and service when saidoil burner is connected to said furnace; h) said blower is located belowthe center line of said air tube; i) said housing includes:i) an accessport axially aligned with said air tube and positioned with the air tubeinlet between the port and the outlet; ii) door means for closing saidaccess port; and, iii) at least a portion of the door means being awindow for viewing the ignition of said oil-air mixture when said doormeans is closed; j) the inlet of said blower is partially covered by aremovable air scoop thereby protecting against blower produced injuriesand reducing the noise emitted from the blower during operation, saidblower and said air scoop being located such that upon removal of saidair scoop a fresh air duct may be directly connected to said oil burnerat the inlet of said blower; and, k) an air guide is located near theblower inlet for directing air flow on both the pressure side and thesuction side thereby improving the static pressure of the air flow. 10.In an oil burner having an air tube defining an elongate air flow pathextending from a tube inlet to an outlet, the tube projecting laterallyfrom a housing and a blower for supplying air under pressure to thetube, the housing defining an air flow passage extending from a bloweroutlet to the air flow path inlet, the housing comprising:a) a sectiondefining an air flow passage portion extending from an outlet of theblower forwardly to the tube inlet, the passage portion being generallyparallel to and laterally offset from the tube flow path; b) the sectionincluding perimetrally disposed protrusions projecting into the passageportion to induce perimetral air flow turbulence when the burner is inoperation whereby to reduce the velocity head and allow the blower todevelop a desired pressure head in a body of air flowing through thepassage portion; c) said passage portion being of sufficient transversedimension end to end that a central part of the passage portion containsa central substantially laminar air flow portion of the flowing body ofair, the laminar portion extending from the blower outlet to the tubeinlet when the burner is in operation with said protrusions havinglittle effect on the central portion flow conditions; d) the housingincluding a flow diverting wall part near the tube inlet for divertingsuch flowing body of air into the tube while maintaining substantiallylaminar conditions in said central portion of the body when the burneris in use; and, e) said diverting wall part and the tube inlet beingpositioned such that flow of such body of air when the burner is inoperation enters the tube with at least some of the body of air flowingin a direction forwardly of the tube to produce helical air flow alongthe tube while at the same time the protrusions produce perimetralvelocity reductions in such body to substantially avoid velocity inducedair stratification.
 11. An oil burner comprising:a) an elongate tubularair tube defining a flow path extending from an inlet to a spacedoutlet; b) a spider mounted fuel conduit and nozzle positioned centrallyin the tube with the nozzle near the outlet; c) a mounting flangeconnected to the tube when the burner is in use; d) a housing connectedto the tube near the inlet; e) a blower journaled on and positionedwithin the housing; and, f) the housing defining an airflow passageextending from a blower outlet to the tube inlet, the housingcomprising:i) a section defining an air flow passage portion extendingfrom an outlet of the blower forwardly to the tube inlet, the passageportion being generally parallel to and laterally offset from the tubeflow path; ii) the section including perimetrally disposed protrusionsprojecting into the passage portion to induce perimetral air flowturbulence when the burner is in operation whereby to reduce thevelocity head of a perimetral portion of a body of air flowing throughthe passage portion; iii) said passage portion being of sufficienttransverse dimension end to end that a central part of the passageportion contains a central substantially laminar air flow portion of theflowing body of air, the laminar portion extending from the bloweroutlet to the tube inlet when the burner is in operation with saidprotrusions having little effect on the central portion laminar flowconditions; iv) the housing including a flow diverting wall part nearthe tube inlet for diverting such flowing body of air into the tubewhile maintaining substantially laminar conditions in said centralportion of the body when the burner is in use; and, v) said divertingwall part and the tube inlet being positioned such that flow of suchbody of air when the burner is in operation enters the tube with atleast some of the body of air flowing in a direction forwardly of thetube to produce helical air flow along the tube while at the same timethe protrusions produce perimetral velocity reductions in such body tosubstantially avoid velocity induced air stratification.
 12. An oilburner as described in claim 11 wherein an adjustable air gate islocated along the airflow passage for controlling the amount of airwhich enters the tube inlet, the control being accomplished by a diallocated on the housing, the dial being connected to a pinion which ismeshed with at least a segment of a gear located on the air gate in apredetermined ratio thereby allowing for facile fine adjustment of theamount of air which enters the air tube.
 13. An oil burner as describedin claim 11 wherein a removable air scoop partially covers a blowerinlet thereby protecting against blower produced injuries and reducingthe noise emitted from the blower during operation, the inlet definingportions being constructed such that upon removal of the air scoop anoutside air boot may be directly connected over the blower inlet withoutany further manipulation of said oil burner.
 14. An oil burner asdescribed in claim 11 wherein the housing includes an access port andthe access port includes a window axially aligned with the tube forviewing the nozzle and flames produced when the burner is in use.
 15. Anoil burner as described in claim 11 wherein a removable stop carried bysaid spider and engaging a coacting tube surface to locate said nozzleat a desired location axially of the tube, wherein the stop is apre-selected one of a number of removable stops of differing sizes eachadapted to provide a nozzle location axial of the tube different thanthe remaining stops.
 16. An oil burner comprising:a) an elongate tubularair tube defining a flow path extending from an inlet to a spacedoutlet; b) a spider mounted fuel conduit and nozzle positioned centrallyin the tube with the nozzle near the outlet; c) a mounting flangeconnected to the tube when the burner is in use and adapted to connectthe tube to a furnace; d) a housing connected to the tube near theinlet; e) a blower journaled on and positioned within the housing; and,f) the housing defining an airflow passage extending from a bloweroutlet to the tube inlet, the housing comprising:i) a section definingan air flow passage portion extending from an outlet of the blowerforwardly to the tube inlet, the passage portion being generallyparallel to and laterally offset from the tube flow path; ii) thesection including perimetrally disposed protrusions projecting into thepassage portion to induce perimetral air flow turbulence when the burneris in operation whereby to reduce the velocity head of a perimetralportion of a body of air flowing through the passage portion; iii) saidpassage portion being of sufficient transverse dimension end to end thata central part of the passage portion contains a central substantiallylaminar air flow portion of the flowing body of air, the laminar portionextending from the blower outlet to the tube inlet when the burner is inoperation with said protrusions having little effect on the centralportion laminar flow conditions; iv) the housing including a flowdiverting wall part near the tube inlet for diverting such flowing bodyof air into the tube while maintaining substantially laminar conditionsin said central portion of the body when the burner is in use; and, v)said diverting wall part and the tube inlet being positioned such thatflow of such body of air when the burner is in operation enters the tubewith at least some of the body of air flowing in a direction forwardlyof the tube to produce helical air flow along the tube while at the sametime the protrusions produce perimetral velocity reductions in such bodyto substantially avoid velocity induced air stratification; g) anadjustable air gate located along the airflow passage for controllingthe amount of air which enters the tube inlet, the control beingaccomplished by a dial located on the housing, the dial being connectedto a pinion which is meshed with at least a segment of a gear located onthe air gate in a predetermined ratio thereby allowing for facile fineadjustment of the amount of air which enters the air tube.
 17. An oilburner comprising:a) an elongate tubular air tube having an inlet and aspaced outlet; b) a spider mounted fuel conduit and nozzle positionedcentrally in the tube with the nozzle near the outlet; c) a mountingflange connected to the tube when the burner is in use and adapted toconnect the tube to a furnace; d) a housing connected to the tube nearthe inlet; e) a blower journaled on and positioned within the housing;f) the housing defining an airflow passage extending from a bloweroutlet to the tube inlet; g) an adjustable air gate located along theairflow passage for controlling the amount of air which enters the tubeinlet, the control being accomplished by a dial located on the housing,the dial being connected to a pinion which is meshed with at least asegment of a gear located on the air gate in a predetermined ratiothereby allowing for facile fine adjustment of the amount of air whichenters the air tube.
 18. An oil burner comprising:a) an elongate tubularair tube having an inlet and a spaced outlet; b) a spider mounted fuelconduit and nozzle positioned centrally in the tube with the nozzle nearthe outlet; c) a mounting flange connected to the tube when the burneris in use and adapted to connect the tube to a furnace; d) a housingconnected to the tube near the inlet; e) a blower journaled on andpositioned within the housing; f) the housing defining an airflowpassage extending from a blower outlet to the tube inlet; g) the housingalso having portions defining a blower inlet; and, h) a removable airscoop partially covering the blower inlet thereby protecting againstblower produced injuries and reducing the noise emitted from the blowerduring operation, the blower inlet defining portions being constructedsuch that upon removal of the air scoop an outside air boot may bedirectly connected over the blower inlet without any furthermanipulation of said oil burner.
 19. An oil burner comprising:a) anelongate tubular air tube having an inlet and a spaced outlet; b) aspider mounted fuel conduit and nozzle positioned centrally in the tubewith the nozzle near the outlet; c) a mounting flange connected to thetube when the burner is in use and adapted to connect the tube to afurnace; d) a housing connected to the tube near the inlet; e) a blowerjournaled on and positioned within the housing; f) the housing definingan airflow passage extending from a blower outlet to the tube inlet; g)said housing including an access port; and, h) the port including awindow axially aligned with the tube for viewing the nozzle and flamesproduced when the burner is in use.
 20. The burner of claim 19 furtherincluding:a) an access port axially aligned with said air tube andpositioned with the air tube inlet between the port and the outlet; b)door means for closing said access port; and, c) at least a portion ofthe door means being a window for viewing the ignition of said oil-airmixture when said door means is closed.
 21. An oil burner comprising:a)an elongate air burner tube having an inlet and a spaced outlet; b) aspider mounted fuel conduit and nozzle positioned centrally in the tubewith the nozzle near the outlet; c) a mounting flange connected to thetube when the burner is in use and adapted to connect the tube to afurnace; d) a housing connected to the tube near the inlet; e) a blowerjournaled on and positioned with the housing; f) the housing defining anairflow passage extending from a blower outlet to the tube inlet; g) thetube defining a geometric volume, the blower being positioned when theburner is in use below an imaginary extension of the geometric volumeand outwardly from a furnace relative to the tube; h) a motor mounted onthe housing in depending relationship when the burner is in use; i) themotor having a housing and an output shaft having spaced end portionsprojecting from opposite sides of the motor housing; j) one end portionof the shaft being axially aligned with and connected to the blower; k)a fuel pump connected to the other of the shaft end portions in axialalignment; and, l) said motor and fuel pump being positioned below saidimaginary extension of the geometric volume and the fuel pump and blowerbeing spaced from one another whereby to facilitate service and repairof the blower, motor and fuel pump and to inhibit fuel contamination ofthe blower.
 22. An oil burner comprising:a) an elongate tubular air tubehaving an inlet and a spaced outlet; b) a spider mounted fuel conduitand nozzle positioned centrally in the tube with the nozzle near theoutlet; c) a mounting flange connected to the tube when the burner is inuse and adapted to connected the tube to a furnace; d) a housingconnected to the tube near the inlet; e) a blower journaled on andpositioned with the housing; f) the housing defining an airflow passageextending from a blower outlet to the tube inlet; g) a removable stopcarried by the spider and engaging a coacting tube surface to locate thenozzle at a desired location axially of the tube; and, h) said stopbeing a pre-selected one of a number of removable stops of differingsizes each adapted to provide a nozzle location axial of the tubedifferent than the remaining stops.
 23. An oil burner, comprising:a) ahousing; b) a motor connected to the housing located near the bottom ofthe burner; c) the motor includes an output shaft; d) a blower forintake of air into the burner, the blower being axially aligned with andconnected to the motor shaft; e) a fuel pump connected to the shaft andmounted on the motor opposite the blower; f) an air tube projectingoutward from said burner including a burner sub-assembly located withinthe tube, the tube being connected to said housing and being locatedover and laterally offset from the blower, the burner sub-assemblyincluding:i) a spider positioned in the tube; ii) a fuel nozzlesupported in the tube by the spider; iii) a fuel supply conduitconnected to and terminating in the fuel nozzle; iv) an ignitionapparatus connected to the fuel supply conduit with a T shaped bracket;v) a burner head section supported in the tube by the spider and in apreselected space relationship with the fuel nozzle and the ignitionapparatus; and, vi) a positive stop carried by said spider, the stop isa preselected one of a number of stops of differing lengths selectedduring installation of the burner and the stop engages a coacting tubesurface thereby locating the burner sub-assembly thereby contributing tothe control of the burning rate of the burner; g) a window locatedopposite the outward most end of said burner sub-assembly through whichthe burner head section, said fuel nozzle and said ignition apparatusmay be observed; h) air guidance means for guiding air supplied by saidblower through the burner upwardly along a serpentine air flow passagein which the air is guided by perimetrally disposed protrusions, engagesa flow diverting wall and enters said air tube; i) an adjustable airgate positioned along the path between said blower and the air tube andfor controlling the amount of air entering the air tube; and, j) a dial,a pinion connected to the dial, at least a segment of a gear connectedto the air gate, said pinion and said gear being meshed in apredetermined ratio whereby to provide facile fine adjustment of the airgate; k) a removable air scoop partially covering a blower inlet, theair scoop being removable to permit an outside air boot to be connecteddirectly to the blower inlet.
 24. A process of installing a fuel burnerwith a flame producing capacity appropriate for the installationcomprising:a) determining an appropriate axial location for a nozzle inan air tube; b) selecting a stop of a size appropriate to locate thenozzle in the determined location, the selection being from a set ofstops each of a size different than the remainder of the set; c)connecting the selected stop to the nozzle; and, d) locating a nozzle inan air tube by bringing the stop into contact with a coacting tubesurface.
 25. The process of claim 24 wherein the stops of the set arethreaded and the selected stop is connected to the nozzle by threadablyconnecting the stop to a nozzle supporting spider.
 26. The process ofclaim 24 wherein the nozzle locating step includes sliding the nozzleand a nozzle support forwardly in the tube until the stop engages thecoacting tube surface.
 27. A process of operating a fuel burner withminimized air stratification comprising:a) operating a blower tointroduce air into a passage and establish flow of a body of air alongthe passage; b) causing turbulence in a perimetral portion of the bodyto reduce the velocity head while maintaining the static head ofperimetral portions of the body developed by the blower whileconcurrently establishing and maintaining substantially laminar flowconditions about a flow axis in a central portion of the passage; c)laterally diverting the flow from the passage into an air tube having atube axis generally paralleling but laterally offset from the flow axis;d) the diverting step including diverting the air into the tube whilemaintaining a central portion having substantially laminar flow along afurther axis oriented to establish helical air flow along inner surfacesof the tube; and, e) the helical flow having an air advancing componentin a direction toward an ignition end of the tube.